KenyaMoore de Almeida Dias da Cunha

Dr. Kenya Moore de Almeida Dias da Cunha died peacefully at her home in Albuquerque on July 26, 2016.

Originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil she had a long and esteemed academic and laboratory research career in environmental and human contamination with metals and radionuclides. Her career included 35 years with the Brazilian National Nuclear Energy Commission where she was responsible for the surveillance, control and assessment of occupational radiological protection programs at nuclear fuel cycle plants, including mining and milling of uranium, thorium, and associated materials. She was also an Adjunct Professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro for 12 years where she taught and pursued research on environmental pollution using particle accelerators. Additionally she was an instructor of the Professional Development Courses program at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and a reviewer of the IAEA International Basic Safety Standard on radiological protection.

She moved to Albuquerque in 2010 where she became a Research Professor at UNM's Departments of Civil Engineering and Nuclear Engineering. Her research fieldwork spanned the whole of Brazil, including Amazonia, Antarctica, and, recently, the Four Corners area where she studied uranium solubility in soils from the Navajo Nation. Though she was focused on research, throughout her career she always prioritized helping students, and was always very generous with her time with students and colleagues.

She was also a keen skier who greatly enjoyed the slopes of Argentina, Chile and New Mexico. Her kindness and friendship are already missed by all those who knew her.

She is survived by her husband Cassiano; her daughter Diana, as well as her mother Marlen; sisters Karla and Kleyna, and several nieces and nephews, all of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

A memorial service for her will be held on Sunday, September 18, 2016 at 2:30 p.m. at the UNM Alumni Memorial Chapel.

A donation to the UNM Cancer Center will be gratefully accepted in lieu of flowers and gifts.

Notify Friends and Family

Add the email addresses of friends or family members you'd like to notify about this obituary.

To: *Invalid To Email

From: *Invalid From Email

Message:

Optional

Please provide me with special offers and discounts from Legacy.com and selected partners.Emails will be sent directly from Legacy.com. We respect your privacy and will not sell your information to a third party. You may opt out at any time. See privacy policy for details.